Friday, 19 July 2013

Why say good-bye when you can say see you next time?

Journeys are a series of beginnings and endings. Each phase starts with exploration, followed by understanding and capability. Just when you are getting good at something it is time to move on to the next phase, and the cycle begins again.

This has been true for me with the creating and marketing of Change with Confidence. First it was the concept phase, then writing, editing, pitching, formatting and promoting. Each one followed this development cycle.

One of my favourite phases has been the promotion phase. I hired Media Connect, a New York-based book promotion and author publicity firm to support my book in the U.S. A best-selling author had given me a great reference and my initial conversation was David, Managing Director, was excellent. Have you found that there are some people you meet and just know you will get along with famously? This is how I felt about David.

Steve Matteo, David Hahn and Eric Glover

I felt like a sponge when I met David and his team members, Steve and Eric at their office. I kept saying, "And what else, is there anything else, from your experience, what else should we do." I also invited them to use me as a guinea pig if they wanted to try new things.

I learned so much from my five-month campaign. Their expertise was evident from day one. They worked with Wiley to get promotional galley (first-print soft-bound copies for journalists). They also quickly leveraged their network across print, radio, public speaking and internet media channels. I was in good hands from the start.

Here is what the team triggered for Change with Confidence:

- 6 Reviews

- 8 Articles/Guest Posts

- 3 Interviews

- 1 Talk/Event

- 1 Webinar

I am thrilled with the coverage! I won't attempt to pick my favourite experiences. Each one taught me something new, whether it was approach, format or customization to a particular audience. Each one built my promotion skills.

Beyond PR, the team shared their knowledge of the publishing industry. For example, David said there are two types of authors: one that puts out a book every two years and the other who does so every five years. The first type tends to repeat themselves while the other writes something new and uniquely profound."

Why say good-bye when you can say see you next time? It will be a little while longer than I originally thought. Thanks guys!